Episode #375
EP375: Platforms as Nations: Dr. Sam Hayes on Digital Missiology
Digital platforms now hold more sustained human gathering than the streets of most nations. So what happens when the church stops treating them as tools, and starts treating them as mission fields? This week on Becoming theChurch.digital, Jeff Reed sits down with Dr. Samuel L. Hayes Jr., author of Global Digital Missiology: A Framework for Christian Leadership in the Digital Age (ElevateInk Academic, 2026). THE BOOK Sam's book, with a foreword by Jeff Reed, gives digital ministry what it has mostly been missing: a missiology. Grounded in research with apostolic leaders across six continents, it lays out the Nine Processes of Global Digital Engagement - how to build the plan, develop the team, and execute the strategy - so digital mission is strategic rather than accidental. https://amzn.to/3T5Dxq1 WHAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT - Why platforms function like nations, and what "make disciples of all nations" means when a nation is a platform - The Nine Processes, and where most churches skip straight to posting - Stewarding physical-first churches through digital change, and unleashing digital-first ones - Who pastors and equips the digital missionary ABOUT SAM Dr. Sam Hayes is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who served more than two decades, including Special Operations assignments in 12 countries. He holds a Doctor of Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, where his doctoral research first crossed paths with theChurch.digital. He teaches as an adjunct assistant professor of management at Fayetteville State University. He is Co-International Director of the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and founder of Samuel Hayes Ministries, and lives in North Carolina. https://www.samuelhayes.org --- Becoming theChurch.digital is the show for church leaders figuring out digital ministry in public. This season: The Listening Tour — less broadcasting at digital ministry, more listening to where it actually is. https://thechurch.digital/guides/what-is-a-digital-missionary/ https://thechurch.digital @bethechurchdigital CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome, and remembering Steve Reed 6:16 A new fall season, and a partnership to pray for 8:39 Town Hall, October 7 9:28 Time zones, and the events calendar that fixes them 10:26 Meet Dr. Sam Hayes 12:50 Why write a five-year academic book on digital missiology 17:05 Writing for the seminaries that aren't listening yet 18:37 Platforms as places, platforms as nations 21:44 The mother, the gamer, and the bishop on Discord 24:50 The surprise in the data: every leader had a digital native 26:34 A person of peace inside the platform 27:32 APEST: digital pastors, digital apostles 29:40 Talking to a pastor who isn't sold 32:45 The shadow side: data extraction and vulnerable people 36:30 Vanity metrics, and a year spent earning a church's trust 37:15 A success story from Africa 42:50 Steve's story: the people group he already had 50:12 Three horizons for a physical church 55:17 Avatar churches, and who actually gets persecuted 59:36 Trained for one war, facing another 1:03:54 A Bible study coming: Peter, and a scattered church 1:05:35 What should a church not do digitally 1:09:50 All you need is a cell phone 1:10:59 Next week: Arno and Kingdom Online Full notes, chat and shorts: https://thechurch.digital/375
